Becoming Ecuadorian

For breakfast this morning, I had kiwis, bananas, and some bread. There is always lots of fresh fruit available here, but some of it is kind of weird and I will have to get used to it, like uvillas.

Today we went to the mall in a big group to get cell phones. I didn't have enough cash with me, so I couldn't buy one, but I had fun window shopping while everyone else bought phones. I went into a small bookstore to find a birding book, but I couldn't find one. I also browsed at a booth called wiseBOX but I couldn't figure out what it was. There was another booth with very pretty jewelry that was some sort of straw or grass wound in a circle with thin gold wire holding it together. It was fun to go window shopping, even if I didn't understand things. The salespeople were all very nice and understanding of my lack of Spanish.

For lunch today we had Ecuadorian pizza. I wasn't quite excited about it at first because I wanted to experience Ecuadorian food instead of regular American food, but this pizza was not something you'd get in America. There was a cheese pizza and another one with green olives, corn, bell peppers, and mushrooms. There was also aji, which is a kind of hot sauce or salsa.

After orientation today, I went with my host family to buy a cell phone. I now have an Ecuadorian cellphone, but I'm not entirely sure how my plan works because I'm used to having a US cell phone on a contract. I got sick today, so I rested before dinner. The rest of my family went to the grocery store and bought me gatorade, popcorn, and yummy cookies called orejas de hojaldre. For dinner, I had popcorn, bread, a powerbar, and some cookies. Hopefully I will be feeling better soon.